The death of Aden Hashi Ayro, the leader of Al Shabaab and the man believed by many Somalia analysts and regional diplomats to be the head of al-Qa'ida operations in East Africa is great news, or so we're told.Time describes it as an unqualified success. Pentagon officials are apparently "doing cartwheels" after a series of attacks which failed. But we've been here before.
In June 2006 a US airstrike killed another insurgent leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq. George Bush described it as "a severe blow to al-Qa'ida and it is a significant victory in the war on terror". Tony Blair said it was "a strike against al-Qa'ida in Iraq and therefore a strike against al-Qa'ida everywhere". Within months al-Qa'ida in Iraq had crumbled, security had returned to Baghdad, and British and American troops came home to a hero's welcome. Yeah...
As in Iraq it's pretty unlikely that one successful airstrike will dramatically weaken the insurgency. It may even bolster it. Previous US airstrikes inside Somalia have only fomented anti-US sentiment, which the Shabaab has been swift to stir up. The most immediate consequence of the attack is the possible postponement of UN-led peace talks in Djibouti later this month. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed chairman of the opposition Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia, told the Associated Press that the Alliance would reconsider taking part following the air strike.
The longer the conflict goes on, the worse things get for the average Somali. The Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia this week claimed that 2.6m people, 35 per cent of the population, are in need of assistance. It blamed "sky rocketing food prices, a deepening drought due to an abnormally harsh dry season and a delayed and poor start to the seasonal rains". But unlike in other countries facing similar problems Somalia is on its own. It is just not safe enough for aid agencies to operate effectively.

AL MUJAHID MOALLEM ADEN HASHI FARAH AYRO is dead and usa and their alliance they have to know that shahid aden had left thousands of mujahidin like him in the world and the war against the enemy of allah will continue until the islamic law expans wvwry where in the country .
why they attack him , he is in his oun country , in his oun people , in his own land he was struggling for the sake of allah but the jihad against america and its alliance still not over it will continue until we get our rigts.
Posted by: hanad | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 03:31 PM
well,peaceloving somalis and the rest of the wortld are happy with dead a great and well know terrorist.
we in Mogadishu think willget a reliable peace if the terrorism monger dies.
Posted by: shafici | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 04:10 PM
Sure Al Z 'died' many times we were told. Also this new bugger, he is dead, is he? Who is telling us all that? The same people who told us that Iraq was about to nuke us? We are stupid as British people, but not that stupid :))
Posted by: Gordon Brin | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 05:24 PM
When are they going to stop this bull****.
They told us, thousands of foreign fighters were killed in 2007, just it turned out they were innocent fleeing civilians, now we are let to believe this.
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/1784/81/
Posted by: abdi | Saturday, 03 May 2008 at 07:37 PM
Paramilitary organisations, be they militia or terrorists, are similar to community sporting and service clubs in that they wouldn’t exist if there weren’t people in those communities who want them. Often enough, there is even a perceived for them. To that extent, liberals should celebrate their existence as expressions of free opinion.
Al Shabaab will replace Aden Hashi Ayro, and continue. Al-Qaeda in Iraq replaced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and continued. Should Moqtada al-Sadr be incapacitated, his Mahdi Army will contine. They will all continue because people have unaddressed grievances, have real needs. Killing the leaders of these organisations is pointless so long as the grievances and needs remain.
This curious fascination with leaders and leadership may be symptomatic of megalomania. Has anyone investigated the psychopathology of, say, CEO’s of powerful corporations?
Posted by: David Arthur | Sunday, 04 May 2008 at 04:30 AM
Aden was a young hardened man who fought for his people and his country and in the Somali eyes, he is a true hero.
what most don't understand is that the USA is paying millions to the warlords who have blood in their hands. The British too. For example, the warlord president of Somalia is a man known for killing thousands and thousands of innocent Somalis. He is a war criminal who doesn't believe individual human rights. He and his body guards killed two British citizens in Somalia but he receives medication and health services in London Hospital So kill the freedom fighter and those who are serious about ending oppression and welcome and prop up those who are committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing and created the worst African humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia. This is what the leadership and civilization of the Western world basically came. Stop lying and don't even talk about freedom, democracy and human rights. The West has no moral authority any more, just mindless and immoral might.
Posted by: Burawi Seven | Sunday, 04 May 2008 at 05:45 PM
In our eyes, Somalis, he is NOT dead. He is alive, in us, in our collective resistance psyche; he reigns supreme and touring figure.
They may have taken his life but his light shines to illuminate millions.
We swear to free Somalia from foreign occupation no matter what it takes us.
Posted by: Jilani | Monday, 05 May 2008 at 10:59 AM
He is alive, he is hero he is great
Posted by: Somali | Monday, 05 May 2008 at 04:48 PM
He's DEAD.......good hunting USA.
This murderer slaughtered, amoung dozens of others, a BBC reporter and four foriegn aid workers.
Somolia is hell-hole and free fire zone against backward two bit Islamic thugs. The only good Al Quida member is a dead one..
This War is just starting and if Somlaia radicals want to continue their terror campaign the missles will arrive on a regular basis.
Keep your head down Al quida and an eye on the sky...
Posted by: Johnny USA | Monday, 05 May 2008 at 05:59 PM
David Arthur,
You are a fools ...fool.
"Has anyone investigated the psychopathology of, say, CEO’s of powerful corporations?"
Who cares, we're talkn about certified stone cold killers, who are plying their power grabbing trade using violence, murder and intimidation and justifying it with some pathetic looney tune book about lil Mo and his merry beheaders.
"Grievances"...yeah I got one. Don't be flying planes into New York and that isn't my grievance. The complaint is how come we haven't dropped a few big ones and settle this once and for all.
Why don't ya psychoanalyze that and celebrate my 'free opinion' with a nice Euro group hug.
Posted by: Johnny USA | Tuesday, 06 May 2008 at 05:55 AM
“This War is just starting and if Somlaia radicals want to continue their terror campaign the missles will arrive on a regular basis”, JohnnyUSA.
Johnny, why you want rain hell fire on tiny poor nation in the horn of Africa?
I mean what benefit would the US derive from such perpetual chaos in Somalia?
To be honest with you, we Somalis, do not want to pick up a war with the sole superpower in today’s world.
All we want is to reconstitute our nation and live in peace with our selves and neighbors.
We’re denied that right. Thus we have no other choice other than to resistance the attempt by others to subjugate us and deny us our right to exist as a nation.
Apart from bombing and chasing the mirage of terrorism, what has the US done to assist the Somalis in sustainable ways and prevent them from joining ‘radicals’?
Your country’s policy is in shambles, especially with regards to the Muslim world.One can fight ideology but not religion.
Posted by: Jilani | Tuesday, 06 May 2008 at 02:30 PM
Jilani,
The USA has no interest in killing anybody except those that target US citizens and carry out murder especially members of Al Qaeda.
Aden Hashi Ayro admitted that he was the leader of Al Qaeda in Somalia and personally responsible in the assination of dozens of people including those that went to assist the starving. He deliberately and openly claimed to target "westerners". Period end of story.
We don't want anything from you but for Somalians to stop the never ending idiotic clan warfare that sets the stage for Terrorists to exist and attack your citizens and ours.
Somalia has been at war, either with Colonial Europen Powers (not the US) or themselves for the last 100 years. So if you have a problem it's because your addicted to warfare and obviously have no capacity or competency to govern yourselves...Somalia is FAILED State.
That's the harsh reality and it is the result of Somalians who can't make peace among themselves.
Somalians want 'help'?...Why should we give it, what have Somalians shown to the World other than the complete inability to disarm and live in Peace and establish law and order and a civil society.You can blame anybody you want but the clan warfare continues and ..continues...and continues. The fact of the matter is Somalians hate each other (Islamists against tribal warlords against the Government de jour against the citizens and around again) always have and probably always will.
The US will continue to target Al Qaeda until Somalia gets rid of these murderers which they don’t have the ability to do because you are a failed State.
You want to hate the US...be my guest, we don't 'care' anymore about a country that provides safe harbor to known members of Al Qaeda thugs and murderers who openly claim to want to kill US citizens.
You want us to take sides and provide help? To who? and What for? …Our job is not ‘save’ you after 100 years of warfare, our job is to protect our citizens FROM some of your ‘citizens’… Aden Hashi Ayro one of the leaders of Al Queda in Somalia is dead.….good riddance…at least he won’t be killing any more Aid workers or Western reporters.
Posted by: Johnny USA | Tuesday, 06 May 2008 at 04:22 PM
Johnny,
Your knowledge of past history and contemporary events is very little, if any.
You’ve the mind of deranged and angry man.
Somalis have not been at war for the last 100 hundred years. Apart from the independence struggle, we Somalis have not been exposed to chronic warfare and civil strive.
We have established egalitarian socialist state; self sustained our economy, and built a nation out of the ruins of colonialism.
We are victims of the cold war superpower rivalry. First, as was usual in most of the third world countries, we sided with the soviets. After the 1977 Ethio-Somali war, the soviets betrayed us, and we switched to the Americans under the Carter administration. We didn’t receive the assistance we were expecting from our new friends, they betrayed us.
Later, the US financed the rebels that overthrew our last government. When hell broke loose, the US sent its army to support one of the warring sides -thus Operation Restore Hope started in much fun-fare but ended in abysmal failure, and the US withdrew from Somalia abruptly.
Your country contributed immensely to the suffering of Somalis, and you can’t deny that.
Now, all we want from you is to take your hands off from the internal affairs of our nation.
Believe me; we could have established a model state in the horn
Posted by: Jilani | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 10:50 AM
Johnny,
Your knowledge of past history and contemporary events is very little, if any.
You’ve the mind of deranged and angry man.
Somalis have not been at war for the last 100 hundred years. Apart from the independence struggle, we Somalis have not been exposed to chronic warfare and civil strive.
We have established egalitarian socialist state; self sustained our economy, and built a nation out of the ruins of colonialism.
We are victims of the cold war superpower rivalry. First, as was usual in most of the third world countries, we sided with the soviets. After the 1977 Ethio-Somali war, the soviets betrayed us, and we switched to the Americans under the Carter administration. We didn’t receive the assistance we were expecting from our new friends, they betrayed us.
Later, the US financed the rebels that overthrew our last government. When hell broke loose, the US sent its army to support one of the warring sides -thus Operation Restore Hope started in much fun-fare but ended in abysmal failure, and the US withdrew from Somalia abruptly.
Your country contributed immensely to the suffering of Somalis, and you can’t deny that.
Now, all we want from you is to take your hands off from the internal affairs of our nation.
Believe me; we could have established a model state in the horn had foreigners not meddled in our affairs.
Posted by: Jilani | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 11:00 AM
America's attitude to the developing nations is disgustingly cold.The USA has adopted this approach in her foreign policy deliberately.It is not a question of eliminating the terrorist and then we will all be free of wars,rather for America the question has always been how she can create more wars:They want to breed more of the disgruntled nations all around the world,so that there are more of insurgency problems.America knowingly and wrongly calls them terrorists,while it is blatantly apparent that they(terrorists) are the disgruntled people of the poor counties who do not want American's interference in their lives and in their country's affairs.The fall of twin towers is a poor and illogical excuse to explain the aggressive foreign policy that she has adopted against the developing nations.The statue of liberty being built on the American soil,now stands so incongruously and is rather offensive to our understanding of democracy and liberty.America must close down its disgusting concentration camp and release all the inmates from there. That is the quickest positive contribution that the US can make to her people's and the country's reputation.It will be the most direct way to address the insurgency issue all over the world.But,no they will not do so. I can't believe reading some of these posts defending America and its policies and mentioning the twin towers while the Cesspool in the Bay is still standing.
Tizab
Posted by: Tizab | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 11:46 AM
America's attitude to the developing nations is disgustingly cold.The USA has adopted this approach in her foreign policy deliberately.It is not a question of eliminating the terrorist and then we will all be free of wars,rather for America the question has always been how she can create more wars:They want to breed more of the disgruntled nations all around the world,so that there are more of insurgency problems.America knowingly and wrongly calls them terrorists,while it is blatantly apparent that they(terrorists) are the disgruntled people of the poor counties who do not want American's interference in their lives and in their country's affairs.The fall of twin towers is a poor and illogical excuse to explain the aggressive foreign policy that she has adopted against the developing nations.The statue of liberty being built on the American soil,now stands so incongruously and is rather offensive to our understanding of democracy and liberty.America must close down its disgusting concentration camp and release all the inmates from there. That is the quickest positive contribution that the US can make to her people's and the country's reputation.It will be the most direct way to address the insurgency issue all over the world.But,no they will not do so. I can't believe reading some of these posts defending America and its policies and mentioning the twin towers while the Cesspool in the Bay is still standing.
Tizab
Posted by: Tizab | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 11:48 AM
Jilani,
We don't want anything to do with Somalia, you disappoint us too.
"We have established egalitarian socialist state; self sustained our economy, and built a nation out of the ruins of colonialism."
Yeah ok , it's a regular Paradise. What's stopping you from establishing this paradise..the US, the EU, Russia, Islam...no YOU are stopping yourselves by continuing to slaughter each other for power be it radical Islamists, Warlords, Transitional Government , or whatever flavor of the day has the most bullets.
Here's the latest...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7385078.stm
America remains the largest donor of food and aid than any other Country in the world despite YOUR absolute chaos.(most stolen by Somalia armed gangs) Is the average Somalian responsible..NO, attitudes of hate like those exhibited on this thread are the undercurrent that perpetuates the sorrow of your land.
You need to blame someone, otherwise the truth of your downward spiral lands squarely on the heads of Somalians failure to establish a legitimate Government since 1960.
You think you and the others will get our help when a segment of your population is dedicated towards killing westerners...fat chance.
When the dust settles we'll be around and judge whther we want to be of assistence. Until then those dedicated to harming US lives will be our enemies wherever they reside, including Somalia.
Have a great day..
Posted by: Johnny USA | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 02:43 PM
Tazib,
You're post is absolute nonsense and mind blowing ignorance. It's rant of a deranged propagandist who has the hook so far in his mouth he can't even speak straight.
You want 'cold', how about the Islamic slaughter and genocide that happens everyday in N. Africa like in Darfur...how many millions will die at the 'interference' at the hands of this religion in Somalia, the Sudan, and n. Africa and the insurgents in Iraq that murder their brethren from another tribe everyday with Terror tactics, car bombs and death squads.
The most positive contribution to stability would be for all of the Somalians to throw down their arms and stop killing each other and for the "Religion of Peace" to stop killing in name of their "God". 95% of all world wide Terrorist and insurgent acts are committed by Islamic radicals, who falsely claim to be acting on the behalf of the 'people', yet they continue to starve and barely exist because of these thugs and the failed Colonial policies of Europeans.
So Tizab...go get to work on your foreign policy, go solve the Somalia crisis...stop cryin to the US about it, if you think we're not helpful. You're a big boy get in there and show us what you're made of instead of whining like a child about the US of A about the death of murderer who slaughtered those that were trying to bring food from the US to starving Somalians.
Pathetic hypocrite...
Posted by: Johnny USA | Wednesday, 07 May 2008 at 03:42 PM
johnny,
you sum up just how evil the US is.
With attitudes like yours i can understand why so many people around the world would like to kill US citizens in there countries. Just how many countries do you have to invade and rape of there resources to satisfy your greed and blood lust.
Posted by: michael uk | Tuesday, 20 May 2008 at 12:18 PM